GSP Gold Sponsors

GSP Silver Sponsor

Lithium in Sedimentary Environments: Geochemistry and Implications for Direct Lithium Extraction

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Presented by: 

Dr. Shailee Bhattacharya

Abstract: The growing importance of lithium, driven by the global transition to low-carbon energy systems, underscores the need to diversify lithium sources beyond conventional pegmatite and salardeposits. Sedimentary basins, particularly the oil-and gas-producing regions, have emerged as promising yet geochemically complex reservoirs of lithium-rich brines. This study investigates the geochemical behavior of lithium in sedimentary environments, highlighting the Marcellus Formation’s potential to help address existing knowledge gaps. Lithium originates from low-temperature rock–fluid interactions involving feldspars, micas, volcanic ash, and diagenetic clay transformations (smectite–illite). These processes release lithium to formation waters during burial and thermal maturation. Subsequent fluid migration, evolution, and organic matter alteration can further influence lithium mobility and isotopic composition. Understanding these diagenetic processes provides a framework for discriminating lithologic sources of lithium and evaluating brine evolution pathways relevant to direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies. These geochemical controls are critical for predicting lithium enrichment zones and mitigating challenges for DLE posed by high-salinity, multivalent-ion brines, and organics. This research underscores the potential of shale basins, such as the Marcellus Formation, to serve as sustainable domestic lithium sources, transforming legacy hydrocarbon infrastructure into critical-mineral production networks.

Agenda:

11:15-11:45am Social Time

11:45am Lunch

12:00 pm Speaker Presentation